PMD- Freedom and Glory
by SilyaBeeodess
Summary: Fear is a powerful tool, capable of shattering the will, ripping apart trust, and breaking the mind. The key has always been to find a way to conquer it; easier said than done. Young Eden, finding herself very alone and very afraid, must struggle with her fears and control her emotions if she is to contain the destructive powers lying dormant within her new form.


"_Luniz, what's there to report?"_

"_I have good news. We've yet to lose a single specimen this month and they all remain in perfect hibernation. A few of them will be ready for testing in the field soon, to see their capability to survive in the wild. After we've ensured that bodies are stable-"_

"_We've invested far too much into this already. And I'm losing patience, Luniz. Where are those results you promised me?"_

"_With all due respect, sir… I warned you that this experiment would take time. We are just basing this on theory and what little knowledge we gathered from those ruins, after all… And we've already lost so many. To move too quickly could possibly force us to start all over again."_

"_Fine then… I'm giving you a week."_

"_B-but, sir-"_

"_One. Week. And those precious specimens of yours best deliver to the high praise you so give them. A tool is a tool, and it can be destroyed just as easily as it can be created. Never forget that."_

"_Yes, sir… It will be done…"_

…

To young Eden, all was nothing but a blur. The heartbreak, the pain, the loneliness and guilt… and then finally peace. Her world remained nothing but hazy darkness even she felt cold hands touching her neck and arm before carefully taking her to a place unknown. _Cold, cold, cold…_ Everything felt like ice against her skin. Her mind swam in endless obscurity and when voices eventually did reach her, they were extremely distorted.

And when she did at last awaken, it was not to the gentle caress of her mother coming to stir her from a bad dream, or to the compassionate, soft nudge of one of her Pokemon licking her on the cheek, but was instead to the roaring, clamoring chaos of thunder.

_Wha-?!_ Eden's pale blue eyes flew open to witness the disaster surrounding her. Rain tore through the canopy of trees like bullets, pelting everything in sight. Harsh winds ripped at branches, snapping off bits of leaf and twig. The gloomy night sky was made lit by the bolts of lightning that cut through it like a knife, far too close for comfort. Her ears rung from the resounding boom of thunder. She shivered, not just from the freezing rain that drenched her form, but from fear.

She pushed herself off the ground, fleeing to find shelter fast before the storm could grow even more severe. Yet even as she tried to stand, her legs caved in under her, causing her to collapse yet again upon solid earth. With every attempt to move failing, her panic grew. _Why isn't my body listening to me?!_

Not far from her, lightning struck a tree, splitting it in two and catching the remains in a blaze in almost an instant. With a course scream, she dove forward in a last resort effort to escape, dragging herself as quickly as she could upon the sodden earth.

"_Sir, specimen three's vital signs aren't looking good. Its heart rate is racing and its internal systems are beginning to fall out of balance."_

"_It's the storm. It's probably right in the heart of it."_

"_Should we extract it from the field?"_

"… _No, let's not resort to that just yet."_

"_But we've already lost specimen one."_

"_This is just a minor setback; give it a chance. Hold off the extraction unless it's absolutely necessary."_

The ground suddenly gave way under her as she reached a steep, but rough, slope, leading some ways into the land's depths- a sinkhole, and one beginning to flood no less. Sharp stones bit into her flesh during the descent and she landed in a sprawled heap, soaked and covered in mud. If the weather continued like that, it was all too likely that the hole would cave in on itself, either drowning her or burying her alive. Driven only by desperation, she tried to climb out from what could only wind up as a grave for her. The dirt walls, however, were far too slick to scale with will alone.

"Help!" she cried out, begging, "Please! Anybody!" but there was not a single soul around to hear her pleas. She took part of the dirt with her as she lost purchase, falling back into the steadily filling puddle at the bottom.

"_Sir…"_

"_Not yet."_

Hopelessness had just begun to overtake her as she turned around, her eyes widening as she looked into the looming darkness of what continued of the sinkhole. Hadn't it had been said somewhere that sinkholes led to caves? If so, then what could lurk in that one? Yet as the water rose, she saw little choice but to crawl in and hope for higher ground and wide space. So into the unknown she went, sending a small prayer out there to whoever would listen.

It came to a point where all she could do was feel her way around. From somewhere further in, a cold draft blew, sending chills up her spine, but also assuring her that there was another way out; still a chance to survive.

Exhaustion overwhelming her, she didn't even notice the touch of a tail overlapping her legs as she passed out among the rocks.

"_Readings show that things are back to normal."_


End file.
